


The Scrawny Wizard and the Intimidating Dragon

by Linorien



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond - All Media Types
Genre: Fantasy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 12:54:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8144771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linorien/pseuds/Linorien
Summary: A young warlock raised in captivity. A dragon who watched his only love be killed. A kingdom still fearful of magic. A seeming recipe for disaster. But out of this cauldron, a magical adventure emerges as this young warlock and dragon travel the world to help out where they can and leave chaos in their wake.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Brihna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brihna/gifts).



> Dedicated to Brihna as thanks for organizing the 00Q chats and because it was in that chat that the idea for a fantasy AU was born. 
> 
> Thanks also to my wonderful betas: mandymillk0vich, amarulasmile, and amottledrose on tumblr.

The smell of gunfire mixed with the stench of death in the village of Aberdeen. It wasn’t like this normally of course, but then the villagers were not normally in a battle against hellbeasts.

Someone cried out a warning as one of the monsters hurled a ball of ice into the local blacksmith’s shop. The owner managed to dash out of the way just in time, but the smithy was ruined. He watched in horror as ice crept up the standing walls and started to spread. He grabbed the sword closest to him and rushed out to join the fight. He soon learned what the others had; swords do not prevail against these creatures. He threw down his shattered weapon and ran.

Other men were firing their hunting guns at the creatures, but the creatures of ice were not easily stopped by mere bullets either. A concentrated effort of ten men could take down one, but the odds were not in their favour. Only the fire trenches prevented their passage into the village proper, but it could not stop the projectiles.

The men were calling for the women and children to flee when one man came running out of the apothecary carrying a cauldron that, miraculously, was not splashing over.

“I’ve figured it out!” he cried in triumph. “Dunk your swords into the cauldron and it will defeat the killer frost!”

“Why should we believe you?” a gruff man demanded. “You’re a stranger here.”

“And so are those creatures.” He pointed at the demons preparing more projectiles. “And right now, I think they are the bigger problem.”

Another man spoke up. “How do we know your,” he peered into the cauldron, “slop will not destroy our weapons? You could be helping them to destroy our means of defense.”

“Because your weapons are doing so good right now,” the young man muttered, running his fingers through his hair. His eyes darted around. With lightning fast hands, he snatched a throwing knife off the belt of a nearby guard and submerged it in his mixture. “Watch.” He threw the knife into the apparent leader of the ice monsters. The creature looked down at the projectile in shock before it exploded into a shower of ice crystals.

The young man put his hands on his hips and glared at the village men. “Do you believe me now?” he demanded. In answer, they began submerging their own weapons in the mixture and running to defend the village with reinvigorated hope. Soon, there were explosions of ice crystals everywhere. The men cheered as they vanquished the demons and were able to defend their home. Now, despite the unbalanced numbers, the villagers claimed victory in less than ten minutes.

Amidst the celebration, the young man slipped back to the apothecary and left a note with the recipe for the acid and a way to contact him if future needs arose. He had no need for celebration. Too many big egos bragging about the manly fighting they did and completely forgetting the moments before, when they were going to lose because they didn’t want to trust in science. Well, science and a bit of--

“You done back there, Q?” the large dragon asked from his hiding spot in the trees. If Q didn’t know any better, he would have said his friend looked like he was sleeping.

“Yes,” he replied. “I finally got the chemical mixture balanced just right to give off enough heat to enflame the creatures without damaging the metal of the swords. Well, I used a little bit of magic on the cauldron to place a temporary enchantment on the blades, but that’s neither here nor there.”

“And did the villagers appreciate their blades being spelled?” If dragons could raise an eyebrow, or if they had an eyebrow to raise, Q was sure Bond would have done so.

“Probably not,” Q sighed, collapsing on the ground to lean against Bond’s dark blue scales. “I didn’t even tell them I was a wizard when I went in there. I said I was a freelance inventor.”

Bond huffed. “And that inspires so much more trust.”

“Shut up,” Q muttered. “They needed my help. They had nothing to fight off the killer frost.”

“They are called the crustallia.”

“Killer frost sounds way better,” Q muttered.

“And I told you there was a perfectly simple solution to the problem.”

Q jumped up and marched around to look directly into the dragon’s eyes. “And I told you there was no way I would allow you to burn down an entire village. I don’t care if it would be easier or faster, there would be hundreds of casualties.”

“Why do you care? Small villages like this one usually want to see all wizards dead anyway.”

“They are still people. And people form networks. The agriculture would be ruined, there would be no one to make weapons, the books kept in the town halls would be utterly decimated, and many medicines destroyed. This doesn’t just affect Aberdeen; they trade. It would affect many other surrounding towns that rely on trade with this village. And on top of that, if anyone did survive, we do not want them hunting for a large blue and gold dragon since we are, technically, on the run.” He punctuated this with pokes to Bond’s snout. “Do you understand Old Scaley One?”

Bond puffed out a cloud of smoke. “I understand Speckled Technomancer.” Q scowled at the nickname. “Burning the village would be so much fun though.”

Q threw his arms up in exasperation. “Why do I put up with you?”

The dragon was about to snark back at the lunch-sized warlock when a loud beeping noise interrupted his train of thought. Q’s face lit up and he dug in the pockets of his robe for his communicator device. “There’s a message waiting for us back at the tower,” he said as he swung himself onto Bond’s back. “It doesn’t say who it is from, but it is marked as urgent.”

“What do you mean you don’t know who it is from?” Bond asked as he launched himself skyward. “I thought you kept track of who you gave your contact info to.”

“I do!” Q shouted over the wind. “Which makes this extra exciting!”

Bond only rolled his eyes as they broke through the cloud layer. Due to his days in the military, he prefered to have all of the possible information before charging into a situation. Good intel could win or lose you a battle, no good general made a strategy without consulting the spies first. But this young man hadn’t learned that yet. He only knew how to charge in on naught but his own information. He never had anyone else to rely on, locked up in his tower as he was. And so far, things have worked out well. Sure he had to rely on magic more than he prefered, and sure he didn’t always come out unscathed, but Q was still alive.

The dragon supposed that if he spent his entire childhood locked up in a remote tower, he too would be constantly itching to go on an adventure.

Bond swooped in for a landing in the tower clearing. Flying close to the tower, he felt Q leap off his back and, from the lack of a scream, his cushioning spell once again had caught him safely. The wizard hurried down into his workshop and pulled up his communications. The screen lit up with the newest message.

 

_The Royal Household calls upon you in this time of need. We have intercepted messages that indicate an assassination attempt on Her Royal Highness is in the works. Normally we would handle this ourselves, but intel indicates this attempt to be of the magical variety. We do not currently possess the resources to effectively combat this threat so we urge you to come to the palace forthwith to meet with Sir Tanner of the Guard. You will be rewarded handsomely for your service to the crown._

_Evelyn Shillinger_

 

Q read over the summons again. It was considerably less exciting that he had hoped for. In all honesty, he wished he could pretend that he never saw this. He knew what Bond would say. He’d tell him to just ignore it. After all, the Queen had never done anything for him. She had left him locked in this tower.

Yet, she was family. And even if she wasn’t, Q couldn’t leave someone to die if he could do something about it. He squared his shoulders and went to the window.

“Bond!” he called out. “We are going to the palace!”

As expected, the dragon immediately growled. “Don’t be a fool. There’s no reason for you of all people to go to the palace. You were just telling me that we want to avoid the attention of the palace at all costs. And now you want to go waltzing in there?”

“I do not waltz,” the wizard called back from inside where he was hastily packing. “And I have a plan.” Bond could hear the unmistakeable sound of vials clinking together as Q packed his potions set.

“And which disguise are you planning on using? Because last time you tried to disguise yourself as an elderly man, you were nearly burned alive.”

“I didn’t anticipate how slow I would be.”

“And when you tried to be a woman you kept tripping over your skirts.”

“Not my fault women make it look so easy.”

“And the time when -- ”

“Don’t even go there.” Q poked his head out the window to glare at the dragon. “You swore never to bring that up again.”

“How do you know what I was going to say?”

“Because I know you.” The two continued to bicker while the wizard packed everything he thought he might need. Finally he emerged from the trap door in the roof with a small satchel slung over his shoulder. Bond narrowed his eyes at the man. “What do you think?”

The dark hair was gone, replaced by close cropped blonde revealing large ears. He was about the same height, but his body mass fit the height better; he didn’t resemble a human beanpole any longer. Standing before him was a man who would not look out of place among the knights of the realm. Bond moved his head closer. His favourite feature of Q had shifted colour as well.

“And what does your draconic nose tell you?” Even his voice was deeper.

“Still smells like you, only it is harder to scent. You have hid it somehow.”

“Excellent. Then shall we away to the palace?”

 

***

 

Thankfully, Tanner did not seem to be immediately suspicious of Q. He was reluctant to reveal all of the information they had about the assassination plot, but Q supposed that it would be in the spymaster’s nature to conceal what he knows. He gave Q permission to roam around the castle to place protection charms on the outer walls and, with a guard, within the Royal chambers. Q took the evenings off to roam in the form of a cat and learn more about what was really going on.

Which is how he had found himself here. Running from the broom of the cook. The fool thought he was a common housecat after her food. Which, okay, he had followed his nose, and he was a bit hungry, but he would’ve asked! Maybe.

He flew around a corner on his four paws and darted into the nearest room with a slightly ajar door. He bumped the door closed and sat exhausted on the floor.

“Hello pus,” A soft voice said and suddenly Q was lifted into the air by two hands. He immediately squirmed and was thankfully released onto the bed. He looked at the person he had stumbled upon. She, for it was a woman, had dark curly hair to complement her dark skin. She had a knife strapped to her bare arm and as Q looked around, he could see many other weapons in the room. A desk in the corner of the room lead him to the conclusion that this was the woman who had sent him the message, Evelyn Shillinger, head of the Royal Guard.

“You don’t look to be a stray, so I shall assume someone will miss you if I keep you.” Q let out a small mewl of agreement. Bond already was not a huge supporter of his plan to sneak around at night. “However, as that was Cook that you were being chased by, you probably smelled some tasty treats from dinner.” She went over to her desk and took the lid off of a glass box. “Here. I have some snacks in there for when I work late, but I won’t miss one or two.”

Q quickly decided that this was a great plan. In the morning, he placed some protective charms around the castle accompanied by a guard, the afternoon saw him giving pointers to the soldiers on how to spot a sorcerer and how to fight against magic, and in the evening he stopped by Evelyn’s office after placing more charms in spots around the palace.

“You are not getting nearly enough sleep for a human,” Bond reprimanded him after only a week of this schedule. “You cannot keep doing this.”

“I’m fine,” Q slurred, clearly exhausted as he curled up against the dragon’s side. Bond wanted to caution him further, but he already heard the soft snores of his charge. Luckily for both of them, this schedule would soon break.

 

***

 

It was one of those days when the fog of the morning never quite lifts; the world feels like it is holding it’s breath and the simplest village looks like it has been visited by fairies in the night that haven’t departed just yet. Everyone is quieter on these days, a bit more introspective, most people don’t want to leave the comfort of home.

But it was also a Thursday, and in the shining city of Faelwyn, the capital of Carodale, it was public hearing day. On this day, the Queen held an open court where the people could come to her with their problems. So even though the fog would deter many, a large crowd still filled the Great Hall to hear the wisdom of their Queen.

She sat in an ornate redwood throne on a low dias, Evelyn on her right, and a secretary at a small desk to her left. Various other guards were stationed throughout the crowd of spectators, but it was a very relaxed atmosphere. The common soldiers expected no trouble.

There was one balcony along the east side of the room. Tanner was found up here with a few archers. A good spymaster always expected trouble, after all. In addition to the regular group, Q was also on the balcony, perched on the rail in his cat form. The spymaster had been giving him strange looks, seemingly unsettled by his knowledge that this cat was a human.

The court proceeded as usual. Settlements were made about land ownership, deals were brokered, and petty arguments resolved with well concealed sighs. It was nearly to the end of the allotted time when a short man stepped forward, his hood pulled over his head. He had a slow, ambling gait, and he drew the attention of everyone in the room. Q’s ears perked up and he crouched in a ready position.

“Do you remember me, your majesty?” The man had a silky voice. Soft. Comforting. It made Q’s hair start to stand up on end. He cast out his awareness toward this man.

“Should I?” she responded. The man stopped a spear’s length from the steps of the dais.

“I'd be a little disappointed if you didn't at least recognise me.” The man lowered his hood. Or rather, the creature did, for now it was apparent that this was not a man at all. Many of the commoners reeled back in shock.

Dull orange scales covered the skin of this creature, smooth stubs crested his head and continued down his spine. His eyes were perfect circles, high on his head, inky black with sideways pupils. Q realised that this was the reason he had such a slow walk; these lizard types had a harder time moving on two legs.  

The Queen’s hands clenched on her armrests. “Sylphis, we were told you had died.” Tanner made a hand motion to the guards on the floor.

“You ought to know how hard it is to kill one of my kind,” he hissed. “You should have searched for me.”

“We did,” she protested. “I had my soldiers look for you.”

“Then apparently your soldiers are not as good as my own. But we're about to test that.” With no visible sign, ten other half-breed creatures in red cloaks stept out from the crowd, holding various weapons. The guard immediately drew their own blades in a ring of steel around the queen. A toothy smile spread across Sylphis’s face. “It will be my pleasure to witness your demise.”

Chaos erupted. Sylphis’s forces were engaged with the guards in battle. Swords against knives, steel against magic. The people started screaming and running out of the hall. The balcony guards fired their weapons on the creatures without scales. Evelyn moved in front of the Queen in an attempt at futile protection as Sylphis prepared to hurl a ball of flame at the throne.

Q leapt from the balcony, changing form mid flight, and landed in front of the salaman with a concave metal shield. The fireball ricocheted off the shield and smashed into the stone wall.

“I'm afraid that won't be happening today. The one doing the demising will be you.” Sylphis cocked his head to the side. “I'll admit, not the most impressive thing I could have said.”

“Who are you?” he demanded.

Q raised an eyebrow and pulled a spiked metal star from a pocket of his jacket. “I am your Doom,” he declared as he pushed a button on the star and hurled it at Sylphis’s neck. It pierced the soft scales and a pulse of electricity ripped through him. His body rippled as the charge pulsed, but it did not appear to cause the customary shock of pain.

“Not exactly fire, but still helpful,” he smirked.

Q ignored him to cast a sphere to hover above him. “That’s not all it does. _Magnum maximum!”_ The sphere glowed green and suddenly the silver star shot upward, with Sylphis still attached.

Flailing, he tried to rip the star out from his neck with no success. When that didn't work, he pulled a knife and started to cut it out from his skin. Q looked around the room for anything, or anyone, that might help. The common guards were all busy fighting off the other attackers or getting the crowd to safety. Evelyn and another of the Royal Guard were protecting the Queen. Glancing at the windows, Q did the first thing that came to mind. He touched the dragon scale necklace and reached out to Bond’s mind. _Dinner’s in the courtyard._

With a wave of his arm, the sphere flew out the nearest window, jerking Sylphis along. The salaman just freed himself in time to fall to the cobblestones below. Q took a running leap to transform into a crow and follow him outside.

Sylphis tried to conjure another fireball, but it flickered out. He growled and tried again.

“My magic has recognised you as an enemy,” Q said, human form restored. “There are strong protective barriers in here that will make it very difficult for you to harm me.”

“Then we will have to do this another way.” He fell to all fours and began running at Q, who could see fire building up in his throat. A quick spell and suddenly a snowball flew into Sylphis’s mouth, just as he opened it to blast Q. Still charging, he tried to slash the wizard with his claws, but encountered an incredible protective barrier just above skin level.

“I live with a dragon,” Q scoffed. “Do you really think I'm not prepared for claws?”

“A dragon?” he backed off enough to ask. “What does he look like?”

Q tipped his head back to scratch the nape of his neck. “Like that.”

A great blast of wind suddenly beat down in the courtyard as Bond came in to land behind the young warlock.

“I wouldn't call this dinner. Maybe a mid afternoon snack.”

“And I don't think you actually get to eat him either, sorry.” Q said. “Did you bring the net?” Bond extended a claw that held a thick fishing net. The salaman shrunk back. “Understandable reaction really. It dulls your magic. Hurts a bit too.” With a nod from Q, Bond tossed the braided rope over the man.

He hissed when it touched his skin and tried to claw it off, but he only became more entangled.

“Have you ever heard the tale of the Chai’neze finger trap?” Q asked. “I got the idea from them. The net tangles the more you fight it. Even the guards are going to have a hard time getting you out of it now.” Taking this to mean it was safe, the guards stepped forward to cart the prisoner away. As they passed inside, Tanner and the Queen walked out.

Q looked to the spymaster and received a nod in response. “Well, I'll leave you to your jobs then,” the warlock said with a salute. “Pleasure doing business with you and all that. Fare thee well.”

“Hold a moment, good sir,” the Queen called back. Her stern voice compelled Q to turn back around. “You have done the Crown a great service today. Would you consider joining the guard formally? We could use more men like you and the pay is handsome.”

“I couldn't possibly, your majesty. I am much happier adventuring. And I have very little regard for rules; I don't think you would want me in your employ.”

“Plus no ability to follow orders,” Bond added.

“True.”

“At least allow us to bestow upon you a reward for saving our life,” the Queen returned.

“Oh no, I couldn't,” Q protested, backing away closer to Bond. He would really rather stay as far away from the castle as possible.

“I have one last offer for you,” she said as Tanner raised his brows. Whatever it was, it was news to him.

“No, no, I best get going.” Q sped up and leapt up on Bond’s back.

“Alexander Coriolus Erendol Boothroyd!” she called out in a voice far louder than her diminutive stature lead Q to believe possible.

Q’s head snapped up in surprise at hearing his full birth name. A chill swept over his body and he felt his disguise fall in the face of his true name. The guard gasped. Q felt Bond prepare to launch but he quietly told him to stay. The Queen walked closer.

“How long have you known?” Q asked once she was close enough for a semi-private conversation.

“I had my suspicions when Eve told me of a very intelligent cat she had made friends with this week. It was only confirmed when I saw you fighting with both technology and magic with ease. And you never bowed.” Q rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. It hadn’t even occurred to him that he should bow to the Queen. He only saw her as family, even if they never spoke. “I’d like to formally issue a pardon for you. There is no reason for you to be confined to that tower, although you clearly are not. I’d also like to formally restore your titles and name you as my heir.”

“Why?” Q blurted out. “You don’t even know me.”

“Why did you agree to prevent an assassination attempt against a Queen who, as far as you knew, agreed with your sentence?”

“Because you are family,” he said softly.

“The same logic applies here.” Q’s eyes met hers and a small smile stole across his face.

“So what was your last offer?”

“I’d like to offer you a new position. A roaming knight of sorts. A mobile defense unit of the kingdom. You would do much the same as what Tanner tells me you are already doing, but you would now have an official capacity to act and occasionally Tanner might send missions your way. You have proven that you are more than capable of adapting to new situations and you have the skills to make you a formidable two person team.”

“Who is the other person?”

“Your dragon, of course. It would be unprecedented, but I believe _Sir_ Bond would be a valuable asset.”

Q exchanged a look with Bond. He could feel some uncertainty radiating through his necklace. “May we have some time to think this over?” Q asked courteously. “It is a big decision after all.”

“Of course.” She inclined her head and stepped back a few paces. “I will expect your response within three days. Your pardon, of course, still stands either way. I will leave you with my thanks and let you both discuss my offer.”

Q nodded in gratitude both to the Queen and to Tanner. Then, touching Bond’s scales lightly, they flew back to the tower in the forest. For truly, despite some misgivings, Q had already made up his mind. Helping people was too much a part of his nature to turn down such an offer. And to be respected for doing so, well that was just a bonus. They would be able to travel further and help more people and have more adventures. Together they would be the best team in the land. The scrawny wizard and the intimidating dragon.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out the collection that this is hosted in if you are interested in this universe. I would love for more people to write in this fantasy universe as well.


End file.
